Words: 70 ( Pangram~!)
Blocks: 31
Another solo
effort in this year from one of our regular Saturday contributors, Brad
is keeping pace with Mr. Silk. This one made my brain hurt, mostly due
to the proper name references, but in terms of geographic obscurity, we
did get somewhat of a reprieve. A 'reverse' pinwheel, with the 11-letter triple stacks towards the right, and 9-letter triples to start the Downs. Some of the longer fill we have;
2d. A woodpile may be under it : TARPAULIN - I tried ---- TARP, and that wasn't working
4. Teddy Roosevelt sobriquet : TRUSTBUSTER - I tried "SPEAK SOFTLY", because I was thinking sobriquet was a catchphrase, not a nickname
33a. 19th-century bat-and-ball game : ONE OLD CAT - learned this from crosswords, altho I was looking to fit One O' Cat, and it wasn't working
57a. Delta Tau Chi, familiarly : ANIMAL HOUSE - ah, I did not recall their Greek name - it's up on the second floor railing, askew
onward - by skipping an hour tonight~!
ACROSS:
1. Leavenworth and McHenry: Abbr. : FTs - Forts
15. Medium evocation : RAP - "I see...." did not fit; this is the knock on the table while everyone is (supposedly) holding hands
16. Like evergreens : WINTER HARDY - this took too long for me to see, especially since I had "RENO" and not "RICE" in the downs
17. "... __ the hot sun count / His dewy rosary ...": Keats : ERE
18. "I Hope I Get It" musical : A CHORUS LINE
19. Clinking currency : SPECIE - straight up definition - money in coin
21. __ judicata: decided case : RES
22. "Sorry to say ..." : ALAS
23. Sported : HAD ON
24. Mineral in pumpkin seeds : ZINC - OK, so I threw in IRON to start - the garden (24d.) fixed that
25. __ Toy Barn: "Toy Story 2" setting : AL'S
26. Prepare for a poster tube : FURL - Dah~! not "ROLL"
27. London Philharmonic co-founder Sir Thomas __ : BEECHAM - nearly all perps, this was one of those proper name stumbling points
29. Sailor's direction : ALEE - I was fairly certain that on Saturday, it would not be EAST or WEST
30. Hidden : UNSEEN
31. Prefix with scope : OTO - an OTOscope is used to look very closely at the Indian tribes of the plains....no, actually, it's for an ENT - no, not the tree, the doctor who looks in your ears
34. KGB agent's foe : CIA SPY - Oddly, I threw in CIA MAN to start, then I figured it had to be wrong with the next clue/answer being --->
36. Beatles song with the line "There's one for you, nineteen for me" : TAXMAN - "yeah, I'm the taxman" - in 1966, the Beatles' tax bracket had them paying 95%, which makes this math correct - ouch. We're getting closer to April 15th; I was pleasantly surprised when my "taxman" got me some money back - I had not filed for 4 years, due to low income, but I did pay for Home Inspection school, and that was my big write-off
38. Wrap : END - Pretty sure BOA was not the answer; this is the verb, not the noun
39. Like many French Quarter streets : GAS-LIT
43. Goalie's undoing : DEKE - You can say that again~! (From C.C.: Great picture, Splynter!)
15. Medium evocation : RAP - "I see...." did not fit; this is the knock on the table while everyone is (supposedly) holding hands
16. Like evergreens : WINTER HARDY - this took too long for me to see, especially since I had "RENO" and not "RICE" in the downs
17. "... __ the hot sun count / His dewy rosary ...": Keats : ERE
18. "I Hope I Get It" musical : A CHORUS LINE
19. Clinking currency : SPECIE - straight up definition - money in coin
21. __ judicata: decided case : RES
22. "Sorry to say ..." : ALAS
23. Sported : HAD ON
24. Mineral in pumpkin seeds : ZINC - OK, so I threw in IRON to start - the garden (24d.) fixed that
25. __ Toy Barn: "Toy Story 2" setting : AL'S
26. Prepare for a poster tube : FURL - Dah~! not "ROLL"
27. London Philharmonic co-founder Sir Thomas __ : BEECHAM - nearly all perps, this was one of those proper name stumbling points
29. Sailor's direction : ALEE - I was fairly certain that on Saturday, it would not be EAST or WEST
30. Hidden : UNSEEN
31. Prefix with scope : OTO - an OTOscope is used to look very closely at the Indian tribes of the plains....no, actually, it's for an ENT - no, not the tree, the doctor who looks in your ears
34. KGB agent's foe : CIA SPY - Oddly, I threw in CIA MAN to start, then I figured it had to be wrong with the next clue/answer being --->
36. Beatles song with the line "There's one for you, nineteen for me" : TAXMAN - "yeah, I'm the taxman" - in 1966, the Beatles' tax bracket had them paying 95%, which makes this math correct - ouch. We're getting closer to April 15th; I was pleasantly surprised when my "taxman" got me some money back - I had not filed for 4 years, due to low income, but I did pay for Home Inspection school, and that was my big write-off
38. Wrap : END - Pretty sure BOA was not the answer; this is the verb, not the noun
39. Like many French Quarter streets : GAS-LIT
43. Goalie's undoing : DEKE - You can say that again~! (From C.C.: Great picture, Splynter!)
44. Sextet at Woodstock : SANTANA - I liked his Supernatural album
45. Dairy aisle tub : OLEO
46. Start to amble? : PRE - Preamble, as in "WE, the People..."
48. Film villain in a Nehru jacket : DR. NO - Because Dr. Evil did not fit
49. Stifle : QUELL
50. Women : SHEs
51. Keep to oneself : HOG
52. Stuck (out) : JUTTED
53. Spaghetti sauce ingredient : TOMATO PUREE - I went with pASTe, and that was a whopping 72% correct
56. Lobbying gp. : PAC - Political Action Committee
45. Dairy aisle tub : OLEO
46. Start to amble? : PRE - Preamble, as in "WE, the People..."
48. Film villain in a Nehru jacket : DR. NO - Because Dr. Evil did not fit
49. Stifle : QUELL
50. Women : SHEs
51. Keep to oneself : HOG
52. Stuck (out) : JUTTED
53. Spaghetti sauce ingredient : TOMATO PUREE - I went with pASTe, and that was a whopping 72% correct
56. Lobbying gp. : PAC - Political Action Committee
58. Kate's role in "The Aviator" : AVA
59. Maple leaf eater : BOXELDER BUG
60. Make : NET - ah, as in the financial sense; I was trying "FIX", and "SET"
DOWN:
1. Talent scout discovery : FRESH FACE - I was looking for a high school/college sports player being found, not a singer/dancer/artist/movie star
3. Whiz through, in a way : SPEED-READ
4. He said, "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to" : TWAIN
5. Powell's successor : RICE - oops, Condoleezza, not Janet; the Secretary of State, not the Attorney General
6. New England sch. with a wildcat mascot : UNH - University of New Hampshire, so we had some geography
7. They need connecting flights : STORIES - I knew this was a stairs reference, but I was stuck on FLOORS
8. Playwright Rattigan : TERENCE
9. Grilled-bread appetizer : BRUSCHETTA
10. Uncertain sounds : UHs - not UMs or ERs
11. Deep bow : SALAAM
12. Clarinetist's effect : TRILL - Guitar, too - and probably easier on the guitar
13. Author Ferber et al. : EDNAs
14. Distillery output : RYES
20. "Unforgettable" duet partners : COLES
24. __ garden : ZEN
27. Long-term investment strategy : BUY AND HOLD - great fill
28. The Ducks, on an ESPN ticker : ANAheim
31. Breakfast buffet utensil : OMELET PAN - is a pan a utensil? Not in my house - pots & pans are cookware; the implements used in preparation and consumption are the utensils
32. Depart : TAKE LEAVE - I had mAKE, which gave me an OMOscope - which is used to...oh, never mind
35. Org. that keeps driving stats : PGA - anyone go with AAA~?
37. Marked for deletion : X'D OUT - the 'meh' fill for the day
40. Greek poetic stanza : STROPHE - a rhythmic system composed of two or more lines repeated as a unit - online dictionary
41. Lassitude : LANGUOR - listless lack of liveliness
42. Italian diminutive suffix : INO
44. Bagel selection : SESAME
46. Button on some receivers : PHONO
47. Dance version of a pop hit, often : REMIX
49. Literary captain : QUEEG
50. Skewer : STAB
52. "__, meine Freude": Bach motet : JESU - I have a few Bach Pipe Organ CDs, so I have seen this
54. __ vez: maybe, in Pamplona : TAL - Spanish
55. Abrade : RUB - fixed my PASTE to PUREE
49. Literary captain : QUEEG
50. Skewer : STAB
52. "__, meine Freude": Bach motet : JESU - I have a few Bach Pipe Organ CDs, so I have seen this
54. __ vez: maybe, in Pamplona : TAL - Spanish
55. Abrade : RUB - fixed my PASTE to PUREE
Splynter
Personally, I found a lot not to like today. Most egregious, 51. Keep to oneself : HOG. Keep FOR oneself, yes.
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteWell, I somehow managed to get through this one unassisted, but it took a lot longer than usual and involved a whole lot of guessing. There were so many answers that seemed assembled out of common words but which I had never actually seen together, such as WINTER HARDY, OMELET PAN [a pan is a utensil?], BOX ELDER BUG, CIA SPY, etc. I was able to guess them because they were composed of common words, but each time I mentally went "seriously?"
Then there was the crossing of BEECHAM and TERENCE, which were both completely unknown. Always fun, that.
ONE OLD CAT? So that's what the O in ONE O' CAT stands for, eh?
Started off well in the NW corner for a change, btw, until I put in ROLL at 26A and ground to a halt. Finally changed it to CURL, which was still wrong but better, and then eventually to FURL.
BRUSCHETTA was almost unknown to me and I actually tried CROQUETTE at first. For some reason, I always thought BRUSCHETTA was type of spread...
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteA real workout. Today's solve involved massive amounts of trial and error. Had I done it on paper, it would have been a mess. Confidently put Tarpaulin right in, then due to poor guess-perps, took it out. Had to arm-wrestle with that NW section a long time before it came together.
First pass left a lot of white. Finally remembered the word Bruschetta, and that paved the way for much more success. Resisted X'd out as long as possible, but there was no getting around it. Same with Specie, a word I've seen but never understood.
What Argyle said about Hog.
Morning Splynter, thanks for 'splaining. That tax fact about the Beatles was a bit of a shock.
WEES, mostly.
ReplyDeleteIt was strange to see FURL without "un".
The last fill was the "L" in TAL. I was looking for one long word before BUG and nothing seemed to work (BOX ELDER looks like two words to me).
[20:55]
This was a serial wagfest. Came out of the chute with FTS, but it was all downhill from there. Immediately thought of Fresh Face, but couldn't get it to prove with anything else. So it became a game of whack-a-mole. Next fills were Zen and Zinc, Buy and Hold came after than. Took a flyer on Santana, but wasn't convinced. Taxman was solid, but that disavowed OSU (Yeah, I know, them be Beavers). And so it went...
ReplyDeleteFinally got it full...and right, but it was never ever easy. Probably took an hour as well as half an eraser.
Phew! Glad that's over.
ReplyDeleteI struggled with this one, and it took longer than my usual Saturday time. I thought BOXELDER BUGs ate boxelder leaves. We had a boxelder tree in the yard when I was a kid -- messiest tree ever!
I had no problem with pots and pans being called utensils. They're cooking tools, right? Had SPIT before STAB, and that gave me POTATO PEELS before they were transmuted into TOMATO PASTE which then got PUREEd.
When I think of Unforgettable, I hear Dina Washington's earworm. Natalie's and Nat's "duet" tracks were recorded 40 years apart.
LANGUOR brings up memories of The Longest Day. Cryptic radio messages were broadcast to the French Resistance (such as it was). The second line of Verlaine's Chanson d'automne, "Blessent mon coeur d'une langueur monotone" (wound my heart with a monotonous LANGUOR), was the signal that the allied invasion would begin within 48 hours.
Good morning, everybody,
ReplyDeleteI started doing all acrosses first this morning. I only got 12. Then I did all downs. I got 15. That leaves a whole lot of white space left to fill in. I went back and forth a little, then started help. I never had to do an alphabet run, so I felt good about that.
Though of Splynter with the hockey references. Nice picture (and write up) Splynter.
My town is inundated with Box Elder bugs in the fall because of Box Elder trees. We cut ours down when we bought our house. Planted lilacs instead. Not quite so many bugs, then.
Montana
Misty @7:58 last night: Domino's started in Ypsilanti, near Eastern Michigan University.
ReplyDeletePat
12. Clarinetist's effect : TRILL - Guitar, too - and probably easier on the guitar. Why would you say that? Do you know what trill is? Do you play either or both instruments?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the challenge, Brad. Thank you for a splendid review, Splynter.
ReplyDeleteIMO, this puzzle was difficult, worthy of Barry Silk and a Saturday puzzle. There were many unknowns and vague clues. I smiled or thought aha! as they emerged.
I persisted and finally filled it all in, but no ta-da. I re-read all my answers and found no typos. Now I really enjoy the solving process, but it took so long to get to this point, I turned on red letter help and found I had one letter wrong at GUTTED / GESU. Although that had seemed reasonable, I changed to JUTTED / JESU and ta-da! Whew!
Some of my missteps were: FORE before ALEE, FAKE before DEKE, ORE before ANA, ITO before INO.
Favorite clue / answer: 7D. They need connecting flights: STORIES, and 35D. Org. that keeps driving stats: PGA.
What d-o said Friday: “I liked it all the while I was hating it.” But then it is a Saturday puzzle!
FYI: The very first thing this man plays on the clarine is a trill, followed by a glissando followed by a slide. Made famous by Al Galladora.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/4bBZjqKqbZc
Very challenging, but fun. It took quite a while. I wavered between THEMAN and TAXMAN. I knew the Ducks were from Anaheim, ANA, not ANH.
ReplyDeleteFACE, then FURLED, were the last to fall, but very fair. In all the Royal Navy novels I read the sails are FURLED in port and during heavy stroms. The sails cannot be unfurled all the time. Also, in London people carry furled umbrellas in case it rains.
I learned that ONE O' CAT is actually ONE OLD CAT.
I thought utensil was okay. Utensils include implements, tools, and containers (pans) in the kitchen.
I looked up the Keats poem. The first verses were delightful, but as it ran on and on it bogged down before it got to the Sun counting His rosary. Moving from bead to bead is a way of counting how many Hail Marys and Our Fathers you have said.
BRUSCHETTA in Italy is often grilled bread, rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper. The topping here most frequently contains tomatoes and basil, but the grilled bread is the essential part of all BRUSCHETTA.
Happy Saturday everybody!
ReplyDeletePuzzle 1, Doc zippo. ALAS....
Hands up for ROLL, AAA, PASTE, THE CIA....
Took my girlfriend to go see A CHORUS LINE. I'll never forget being on the receiving end of the ol' stink eye when a much different tune was performed, namely Tits and Ass....
Carlos SANTANA sat across from our table on my 52nd birthday bash. After dinner he was kind enough to come over and impart some of his new age wisdom....
So now I guess I'll TAKE my LEAVE.... Doc out.
All good things come with effort and so did Brad’s puzzle. All of a sudden I ran out of empty cells.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-We saw some questionable SHES walking the KS streets outside FT Leavenworth on payday
-We still water our WINTER HARDY yew evergreens on warm Dec. to Mar. days
-A CHORUS LINE may have had the most minimal set in Broadway history
-Joann can’t believe some things I HAD ON when I come home from subbing. Really, Gary?
-BEECHAM is artsy cwd justice for those of us who know many old ballplayer names
-The TAXMAN will get my extra $1,000 on April 15th. I’m sure it’ll be well spent
-SANTANA and this other guy in Lincoln on June 7
-Nice glove, DR NO
-Vladimir is trying to QUELL as much freedom in Ukraine as he can
-My teacher PAC didn’t back many of my candidates
- A surprising job Ms. Rice might consider
-Some actors without a script use “UH” a lot
-My low brow taste would be EDNA found here
-We had some cwd favs yesterday in Lincoln - MISO soup and AIOLI dip
-What bird of song’s TRILL gave Burl Ives a thrill upon waking up?
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteWhat Argyle said so succinctly and what Thumper advises. Amen.
Nice expo, Splynter, and great picture.
Have a relaxing Saturday.
Good morning all!
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, Splynter. Of course, I thought of you when I filled in DEKE. I also had ers, then ums, before UHS appeared.
I had "change" instead of SPECIE, which messed up the NW. Then I somehow managed to mess up every quadrant after that: "kow-tow" Instead of SALAAM, TOMATO "sauce" instead of PASTE and "serving tong" (singular, no less!) instead of OMELETTE PAN.
I put the puzzle away, went back to bed and took another shot after I had my coffee. Surprisingly, all the mistakes came out and I finished with no lookups. Yay!
We are finally going to have a day above freezing. I'll have to restrain myself from going out and working in the garden...
Husker, I had no idea that Burl Ives recorded that song. i always think of the Patti Page and the Les Paul & Mary Ford versions. Burl? Really?
ReplyDelete@9:52: Click here for Burl's trill thrill (though I think it's Patti Page's version that I first heard).
ReplyDeleteMusings 2
ReplyDelete-I loved yesterday’s puzzle (had to do it online) and gave myself a half hour in the mental corner for not seeing the theme. I tried manipulating the giant E in the grid in all manner possible but to no avail.
-Also, don’t try working an LA puzzle on an iPhone. Trust me!
-Yeah, Doc, we took our girls to A CHORUS LINE on Broadway at the ratty Shubert Theater and didn’t realize some of those lyrics were there. I don’t think it scarred them for life.
-BTW, while watching GBB in Lincoln Thursday and Friday, the huge scoreboard and message ribbons constantly reminded of the aforementioned concert plus upcoming visits for all tastes – Cher, Katy Perry, James Taylor, ZZ Top, Larry The Cable Guy, Harlem Globetrotters, Roller Derby and Monster Truck Rally. CC would call that an OLIO.
-Our hometown team got creamed by committing 9 turnovers in the first quarter. One and done!
Yeah, I remember, Patty Page “The Singing Rage” doing that song too but I was a folk singer and Burl’s version came to mind first. It’s going to be in the 60’s this week and so maybe we’ll start to hear some of those trills! Meadowlarks are not the bird in question but they’ll be serenading on our course soon!
ReplyDeleteThere's something to be said about allowing yourself a lot of time to tackle a Sat. puzzle! With this one, I've been able to do quite a few loads of laundry, come back, THINK and reload all around! I like Saturday puzzles and then being able to check WEES! Beautiful sunshine, cardinals singing in the treetops...Can Spring be too far away? I hope not.
ReplyDeleteHi All ~~
ReplyDeleteQuite a struggle today ~ enjoyable at times and frustrating at others. Proper names often trip me up because usually it's "ya know it or ya don't." Perps helped with a few today, but with others I just guessed wrong. I had many of the same problems that others have mentioned and my last area to fill was the SW. BOXELDER BUG and STROPHE were unknowns.
~ I had my ducks in OREgon before ANAheim.
~ I'm with those who didn't like HOG for 'Keep to oneself.' In fact I had 'Hug' - it seemed a better fit.
~ Husker - BEECHAM filled with perps and a guess, but I thought of "My Cousin Vinny" in BEECHAM County Alabama. (I see now that the spelling is different. Oh well - still sounds the same.)
~ As always, a wonderful write-up, Splynter. You filled in a lot of blanks for me - both on the grid and in understanding!
Good morning everyone. Good intro, Splynter, on a difficult solve.
ReplyDeleteGot some long ones like TRUST BUSTER and TOMATO PUREE, but in the end invoked red ltr help with SANTANA and PGA/GASLIT. Did not know DEKE. At least a 'fake', which I had, is a synonym for DEKE.
Although ZINC is a mineral, I think of it as a subset, 'element.' Since it is Saturday, why don't we just clue it as 'stuff in pumpkin seeds'?
While BOX ELDER is in the maple family, it is somewhat removed from the trees we normally consider as "maple".
If a word is misspelled
in the dictionary,
how would we ever know?
Hi Y'all! Grueling puzzle, Brad! We can TRUST you BUSTER to make it hard! Thanks, Splynter, for soothing some of the sting.
ReplyDeleteI guess we're all WINTER HARDY by now.
On the first pass through all the acrosses & downs, I had only HAD ON & ALAS in the top two-thirds of the puzzle. I almost gave up and went back to bed. But I filled in TOMATO PUREE without a hesitation, then the whole bottom third and started working laboriously back up. Several red-letter runs.
Thought the button was PHOtO not PHONO. I never had this kind of combo entertainment thing.
SPECIE is clinking currency? You got to be kidding. I tried "coined".
When I perped SCHETTA, I WAGd BRU. Had no idea what it was before. Just heard the name.
Never heard of "ONE OLD CAT" or TAXMAN as a Beatles' song.
Gary, a mockingbird, tra la la la, tweedleedeedee! My husband used to sing this to the kids. We played Burl Ives' rendition at his funeral. My husband did a trilling whistle with it that the kids begged for encores.
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteHOG was my last fill - by default, since I was actually typing in BUY AND HOLD, so I never re-read the clue for it; I agree, for would have sounded better.
Magilla, I play guitar, but not the clarinet - so yes, I happen to know what a trill is, thank you.
Splynter
For my Favorite Irish Miss ...
ReplyDeleteThumper's Review
Plus no booze. "LAT Crossword Prohibition" lives on ... tears ...
Another Saturday toughie, but then all Saturday puzzles are toughies for me. I got about half of this one before I had to start cheating--not bad, for me. Strangely enough, TERENCE, BEECHAM, and SANTANA all came to me, sort of out of nowhere, some recess of the mind, I guess. Couldn't tell you a thing about them, but the words lurked in my head all the same. On the other hand, I knew Delta Tau Chi was going to be a fraternity house, and although I finally got HOUSE, I didn't get ANIMAL even though I saw the movie many years ago. Had DIM LIT instead of GAS LIT for the French quarter--well, it's been aeons since I've been there so my memory of what it looks like at night is a bit DIM.
ReplyDeleteLoved the clue for STORIES.
Pat, thanks for the Domino Pizza info. They must have delivered, because I remember getting Domino's pizzas during my years in Ann Arbor when I was teaching at the University of Michigan.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
This was a challenge from the start, but enjoyable as it came together with a little help from the crossword dictionary!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brad, for the workout. Great expo, Splynter!
@ Tinbeni 11:45 AM --
ReplyDeleteWhat about 14D. Distillery output: RYES ?
It's gotta count for something!
buckeye bob:
ReplyDeleteoops, my mistake!
(Dang, I hate it when that happens!)
My "First Toast" at Sunset is to you.
Cheers!!!
Lots of blank spaces on first pass through this one. But red letters and Google helped to finish this Saturday stumper.
ReplyDeleteHand up for ROLL before FURL and TOMATO PASTE before PUREE.
Loved clue for STORIES (I was misdirected to the airport!). My son plays goal so I got DEKE. Nice CSO to Splynter.
Tinbeni - don't the RYES at 14D count??
I agree with PK about WINTERHARDY.
Lots of maples here in Canada but I'm not familiar with BOXELDERBUG.
We get until the end of April to deal with the Canadian TAXMAN.
I kept trying to fit in some variation of Bull Moose Party on the Teddy Roosevelt thing. At one point, I had ST with three spaces in front, so tried "big STick carrier" which didn't work. Finally, got TRUST so happily filled in BUSTER, surprised when it stayed black.
ReplyDeleteI could get used to this.
ReplyDelete'Twas a breeze for a Saturday pzl. I needed only one boost--to straighten out BOX ELDER BUG after I had all but the cross (the TAL perp) in place.
But I am not yet used to breezing through without real obstacles--especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Either I have been lucking out recently, or my old brain's synapses are homing in on the mysteries of Crossword.
Now, watch! I am probably jinxing myself...
A line I just heard in 1956 movie Around the World in 80 Days
ReplyDeleteClub butler upon serving a member a brandy, “Would you like some ice?”
Member replies indignantly, “Heavens no, do I look like a polar bear?
Butler, “Many members are using it occasionally now”
Member, “Probably learned it from Americans. Those redskins will drink anything.”
Remind you of anyone?
Ahhh.
ReplyDeleteSince I finished so soon, I can just laze a bit and gather some wool.
Warm here this morning in SoCal. I guess we will skip spring and shoot right into summer.
Everybody remember to set clocks ahead tonight - or be late for church tomorrow.
I never heard of ONE OLD CAT either. Appreciated Splynter's old-timey illustration. Still can't figure out why CAT was chosen. It has more character than Baseball, and I see that it rhymes with Bat. But so does RAT.
As soon as I read the Beatles lyrics, I was hearing TAXMAN in my head. One of the few songs I ever played on guitar.
Sir Thomas BEECHUM conducted an old recording of La Boheme that I used to play over and over. I heard him on the radio once recounting a chat he had with King George VI:
"I once inquired of His Majesty what was his favorite opera. He was gracious enough to answer, 'Boheme!' And when I had the temerity to ask why he chose La Boheme, he told me, 'Because it's the shortest I know!'"
Another Beecham quote: Asked if he had ever conducted any Stockhausen, he said, "No, but I once trod in some."
ReplyDeleteTough Saturday puzzle. I had to put it down and come back to it 3 times.
ReplyDeleteSplynter, I was looking forward to you putting in Nat and Natalie singing "Unforgetable". I've got it on a CD.
For 4 across. I was looking for Rough Rider. One letter to few - out came the whiteout.
At first I forgot the A for CORUS LINE. Down clues got me there.
I also want ed lead for ZINC in 24 across.
I thought of balconys for the French Quarter in 39 across.
Also didn' remember the full name of frat in ANIMAL HOUSE.
Also thought the game was ONE O" CAT.
Oh well lots of fun!
Good job Splinter!!!
@Pedant - that's a great line, I'd not heard that before.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable puzzle IMHO, but wasn't a big fan of HOG as Argyle already noted.
The Beatles wrote about the TAXMAN, the Rolling Stones quit the country and moved to France.
This wasn't much fun for me though part of that is my own fault for not knowing certain stuff and not enjoying themeless puzzles very much. What Argyle said about "Hog" also. There's something about the song "Taxman" that I find annoying, like most of the Beatles tunes from their LSD and pot era. I didn't know BOXELDERBUG either. I did drag Sir Thomas Beecham from somewhere deep in my brain. I remember our old console combo AM-Shortwave radio and Victrola. My father would load on a stack of 12-inch 78s and play me The William Tell Overture with Beecham conducting. My father always claimed that Beecham's conducting lacked the spirit and enthusiasm of Leopold Stowkowski.
ReplyDeleteMy father always took the time to show me stuff he cared about. I find that he influenced my tastes and opinions more than I realized. Lots of times I will come across something and I think about how much I would enjoy sharing it with him. There are lots of books and dramas written about dysfunctional parents but they don't apply to our family.
In the Battle o' the Prepositions -
ReplyDelete2 v. 4 / "To" versus "For"
I stand with Argyle, but also see that "Keep to oneself" admits of greater ambiguity than "Keep for oneself." It can mean to stay alone, to be hermit-like, or to take something selfishly.
Because "Keep for oneself" has only one sense (that I can see) it would have been an easier fill. But isn't the double meaning an important factor in Xwrd clues?
Desper Otto and Husker Gary when you mention Patti Page I always think of "Old Cape Cod". I'll be relaxing on the West Dennis Beach in a little over 4 months. A nice ocean breeze off "The Islands".
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary I must disagree with your comment on the Shubert Theater. It is not "ratty". It is "quaint". I've seen several Broadway shows there and liked it.
I think I'll have BRUSCHETTA with my pasta next week.
Yesterday LW brought home a copy of the NY Times from work. As if today's LAT puzzle wasn't enough masochism, I decided to tackle that one. While we do get the week old Sunday NYT offering in our local paper, and i usually try it, I don't think I've ever had the chance to try a weekday version, let alone a Friday. I can't say I'd recommend it, but I did manage to get it done. (Of course Rex declared it "medium", BWTFDHK).
ReplyDeleteTeachers: Do you remember when those white dry-erase boards first came out? I thought they were remarkable. :>)
ReplyDeleteYes, Bill G., I remember when those white dry-erase boards came out. And, then a few years later my DH bought two sheets of a similar material at Home Depot and made individual boards for my algebra students. That way, I could walk about the room and in that way could send "everyone to the board" to review at the same time. The students loved it.
ReplyDeleteSo, did I.
About trills on a clarinet: they are breeze easy or difficult, depending on the number and placement of the fingers involved. That in turn depends on the two notes being trilled between. Trills tend to be trickiest when the pinkies are needed; each pinkie has a choice of multiple keys.
ReplyDeleteCondi Rice is an intelligent, accompolished woman. I always wondered what was her opinion of the president she served, a man whose IQ I judged to be sharply lower than hers.
She's also one of those people I'd love to have a few beers with.
Hello everybody. I was unable to finish this puzzle today, even with the help of the internet and reference materials. The NW corner did me in. Excellent fill, though! One heck of a hard puzzle. Best wishes to you all.
ReplyDeleteJohnr, if the Shubert is quaint, I was raised in an extremely quaint house where we got charity from the church. A former student played trumpet in the orchestra pit in the Shuster for Chorus Line and he used much saltier adjectives than ratty to me. Quaintness is in eye of the beholder, eh, Johnr.
ReplyDeleteAve Joe I love your BWTFDHK.
ReplyDeleteHard at it in Jamaica, nice write up Splynter. Wedding tomorrow, and after three days of young people staying all night and having fun, I am ready
I dunno how I can find out if I'm correct but I think there are at least three difficulty levels for the Captchas. First is numerical (easiest). Then there are easy letters, curvy but spaced out and legible (harder). Then there are the worst ones where the letters are all squished together (mostly undecipherable).
ReplyDeleteYes, I loved BWTFDHK also! (It took me a while to suss the translation though.)
I think I was trying to be too clever with my comment about white dry-erase boards. What I REALLY loved was an overhead projector where I could write (and solve algebra equations) right on the glass. I always thought it was valuable when the students could see me showing my work, mistakes and all. Plus, I was looking right at the class and could see any misbehaving, inattention or confusion. Apparently, they've replaced overhead projectors with iPads. I would have staged a revolt...
BTW, regarding my earlier comment about the erasable white boards, I said they were re-MARK-able. It was meant as a little joke. A VERY little joke apparently...
BillG: I got your reMARKable joke and chuckled appreciatively.
ReplyDeleteI have maple trees in my yard, but only see a few of the distinctive red and black BOXELDER BUGS here. My experience with those insects on the farm is that some years they are present in droves and almost non-existent in other years. I called an exterminator one year when they were a nuisance and he didn't even want to come out because he couldn't guarantee success with spraying. The birds didn't seem to want to eat them either.
The NW corner stumped me completely. I drove through the French Quarter tonight and didn't notice any GASLIT streets. And speaking of GASLIT, it wouldn't have helped if I had gotten it because I have never heard of STROPHE or LANGUOR nor did I know INO or BRUSCHETTA.
ReplyDeleteAvgJoe-I always have to read bottom up on the comments unless it's the next day...so I've not gotten too far backwards up the list and I have to comment on your little 'shorthand'. I always think I'm over-the-hill, but will very slight hesitation, I was able to suss out and got a hardy laugh. Very clever!
ReplyDeleteOh drat auto correct, should say 'with very slight hesitation'...
ReplyDeleteOkay, finally got through all the comments and realized I had just lost an hour somewhere...hmm, where oh where can it be?
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts were of my first long weekend in NYC and going to see 4 shows, one of which was 'A Chorus Line', with my then 13yo daughter. I guess I was naive as I don't remember anything bad about the theater and the year was 1987.
My other musing (to borrow from Husker) is about Santana. I have a drum with the Supernatural logo on it that I spotted in a music store in NYC around the year 2001 and had to have it for my collection. Of course, my favorite song EVER, is (for your enjoyment) SMOOTH which Rob Thomas wrote and performed with him. I've been to so many MB20 & Rob Thomas concerts, that I've lost track of how many.
So now that I've figured out where the mysterious disappearing HOUR went, time to go set the clocks forward and hope that Spring truly is here!!